City brings camp home with Camp in a Box

Painesville City is handling the many changes to events and social activities by creating engaging alternatives when possible in order to keep the community engaged, even if they are apart from one another.

The city’s summer camp program had to be cancelled as a result of social distancing restrictions related to the novel coronavirus, but that hasn’t stopped the city’s parks and recreation department from bringing the summer camp experience to the kids through Camp in a Box.

The program will have boxed deliveries sent to registered children on a weekly schedule. Each box will contain a week’s worth of activities that encourage physical activity as well as arts and crafts, and other campthemed accessories.

“Back in March when the restrictions started coming into place we were having weekly Zoom meetings with other Northeast Ohio recreation departments,” said Painesville Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Supervisor Kevin Cindric. “It was a really good chance to collaborate and take suggestions from other recreation departments and supervisors. We’re all going through the same thing: trying to think of ways to offer programming and maintain social distancing.

“So far, we’ve gotten a really good response on it,” he added. “We’ve had a lot of people signed up for it already.”

Other Painesville businesses have also contributed to the program. Art studio Ariel Inspired is including art kits and Branches of Wellness is providing links to exclusive exercise videos designed for the at-home campers.

An important aspect of the Camp in a Box program is maintaining that social connectivity that summer camp is synonymous with. Each registered at-home camper will be able to join a weekly Zoom chat which will include all the other campers and the program organizers as a means to stay in touch with one another despite the distance.

The camp will run weekly throughout the month of June. Parents and guardians have the option of signing up for the entire month of Camp in a Box or individual weeks. Registration costs $18 per week. They have not set a definite cap on registration, but Cindric adds that spaces are limited.

Those interested in learning more can visit, www. painesville.com/summercamp or contact the Painesville Parks and Recreation Department at 440-3925907.

The camp will run weekly throughout the month of June. Parents and guardians have the option of signing up for the entire month of Camp in a Box or individual weeks. Registration costs $18 per week. They have not set a definite cap on registration, but Cindric adds that spaces are limited.